Bulkhead door



March 31, 1942. F. T. JENKINS BULKHEAD DOOR Filed Feb. 17, 1941 3Sheets-Sheet l March 31, 1942. F, T v JENKINS-3 2,278,318

BULKHEAD DOOR Filed Feb'. 17, 1941 5 sheets-sheet 2 `32 INVENTORFEEDER/rf( T. JEH/11H5 ATTORN EY Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNITED STATESAPATENT GFFICE BULKHEAD DOOR Frederick T. Jenkins, Seattle, Wash.

Application February 17, 1941, Serial No. 379,278

11 Claims.

This invention relates to bulkhead doors and more particularly toimprovements in bulkhead doors designed -for use in marine vessels, andto improved locking devices therefor; it being the principal object ofthis invention to provide novel locking devices whereby a bulkhead doormay be held closed, in a water, gas and air-tight joint, and which willwithstand extreme pressures without release of the door.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an improved lockingmechanism of the above character, embodying a plurality of lockinglevers, or latch levers, mounted on the door at opposite sides and atits ends, all of which are simultaneously operable through connectionswith a central or com-mon control member for a relatively fast movementof the levers between released and door locking lposition.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of alocking mechanism as above stated, including latch levers that are soassociated with novel toggle devices that the door will be drawn to aclosed position and held with eX- treme tightness against all probableemergencies.

Still further objects of the invention reside in the details ofconstruction and assembly of latch levers, toggles and controlmechanisms, and in their mode of operation, as Will hereinafter be fullydescribed.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the invention, I haveprovided the improved ydetails of construction, the preferred forms ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. vl isa View in elevation, showing the inside o'f a bulkhead door as equippedwith locking devices and a control mechanism in accordance with detailsof the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the door and its casing, as seen onthe line 2-2'in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, sectional detail showing one of the latch devicesat a side of the door, and the gearing associated with the centralcontrol mechanism for actuation of the latch levers between locked andreleasedpositions.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmental view, in ele vation, illustratingan'operating connection as provided between a latch lever at one side ofthe door, and a cross head member of the control mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the toggle link used in connection with thelocking lever.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, sectional detail taken on line 6-6 in Fig. 1,showing the latch lever in locked position.

Fig. 7 is a similar View, showing the lever in its fully releasedposition.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the same parts in the positionl of Fig. 7. Y

Referring more in detail to the drawings- In Figs. 1 and 2, I haveillustrated the present bulkhead door and its casing in their assembledrelationship. The door is designated in its entirety by numeral I andthe enclosing casing by reference numeral 2. It is intended that thecasing shall be applied to an opening as provided in a bulkhead, or wallplate 3, and permanently secured to the wall in a water-tight connectionby rivets, or the like, as indicated at 4 in Fig. 2.

The casing member 2 is formed about the periphery of the opening thereinfor the door'with a laterally out-turned flange 5 and the door is formedentirely about its periphery with a laterally and then back-turned edgeportion forming an inwardly opening, semi-circular seat or trough 6 inwhich a sealing gasket 1 is located. This gasket may be of rubber orother suitable material, and when the door is drawn to closed position,the edge of the out-turned flange 5 engages Aagainst and compresses thegasket in a manner to insure a water, gas or air-tight seal.

The door is hingedly mounted, for example, by a pair of hinges asindicated at 8 8, and is adapted to swing on these hinges between openand closed positions, and it is intended that the present latchmechanism, as associated with the door, may be operated eithermechanically through a powered remote control mechanism, or manuallythrough the use of hand wheels mounted directly on the door. Since themechanical, remote control -devices do not constitute a part of thisparticular invention, they will not be referred to except to state thatit is the intent that provision be made in the design and arrangement ofthe manually operated controls, for the connection therethrough of thepowered, mechanically operated mechanism.

' The door I has herein been illustrated in Fig. 1, as being equippedwith one latch at each of its upper and lower ends, and with two latchesat each of its opposite side edges and located opposite each other.Since each of the latch devices is like the others, only one will hereinbe described in detail, with the understanding that the description asapplied thereto will apply equally to the other locking devices. Afterdescrbing this locking device, the control `for the manual actuation ofall in unison will be `described.

It will be understood best by reference to'Figs.

6, '7 and 8, that each locking device comprises a latch lever I which isso mounted on the door that by movements in its endwise direction, oneend thereof can be overlapped with, or disengaged from holdingengagement with a bearing block xed on the door case, as presentlyexplained. As noted in Fig. 7, the latch lever l!) is connectedpivotally, at a point spaced from its outer end, with one end of a linkl2 by means of a pivot pin I3. The link, in turn, is pivotally attachedby pivot pin i4 to a block l5 that is tted to and welded in awater-tight joint within an opening in the door plate or directly to theinside of the plate, if this should be desired. The outer end of thelever` is formed with a short hook-like portion I8, and this is adapted,in locking position of the lever, to engage over a shoulder I9 onbearing block 20 that is welded to the door casing flush with the planeof flange 5. For strength and convenience, the lever IU is formed withan opening l0 in which the outer end of link I3 is located, as noted inFig. 8.

The inner end portion of the lever I0 is located between two verticallyspaced, horizontally disposed flange plates 23--23 that are riveted orwelded to the inside of the door. At that end, the lever is pivotallyconnected, by a bolt 25, with one end of a toggle 26, which, in turn, ispivotally mounted by a pivot pin 21 between the plates 23-23. The toggle2S, as shown best in Fig. 5, comprises two short links 25a and 26h thatare pivotally joined by a pivot bolt 29. 'I'he link 25h is formed atthat end through which the bolt 29 extends with a laterally directed lugor leg 30 that is formed with a ball socket 3l opening toward theopposite side edge of the door, in which the ball end 32 of an operatinglink, or rod S3, is pivotally retained. The bolt 29, which joins theends of the toggle links 26a and 2Gb, extends at its opposite endsthrough arcuate slots 34 that are formed in the plates 23-23; theseslots being curved about the axis of the bolt 2t as la center. Likewise,the bolt 25, which connects the end of the lever I0 with the outer endof the toggle 25, extends through slots 35 in the plates 23-23; theseslots 35, for the greater portion of their lengths, being curved about acenter line that is near the axial line of the bolt 26, but at thoseends of the slots that are nearer the edge of the door, each has ashort, out-turned portion 35a, as will be noted best by reference toFig. 3, in which the bolt 25 may move for the specific purpose ofengaging or disengaging the hook-like end I8 of lever I0 with theshoulder I9 of plate 2U without requiring or per- .t

mitting inward, endwise shifting of the lever I0. Incident to a hookreleasing movement of lever Hl, the bolt 25 is moved from the outer endsof the sections 35a of the slots, into position for travel along themain arcuate portions 0f the slots 35 for shifting the lever l0 inwardlyto such a position that it. will clear the door casing when the door isswung from closed to an open position. This travel is from the dottedline position of Fig.4 7, to the full line position of lever i0.

It will be understood also, that when the lever Ii) is shifted from itsunlocked position, as shown in Figs. 3 and '7, back to the locked orholding position as of Fig. 6, the toggle 2B, comprising the twopivotally joined links 25a and 2Gb, will move e rom the angular positionof Fig. '7, to the straight position of Fig. 6, and in so doing, thelever Il) Will be shifted outwardly to locate the outer end of the leveracross the block 2B. When the pivot bolt 25 has approached near theouter end of the arcuate slots 35, the lever I0 will have assumed thedotted line position in which it is shown in Fig. 7, but disengaged fromthe shoulder I9 of the bearing block 20. Then, on final outward movementof the toggle, the bolt 25 moves into the outer end portion a of theslots, and the hook end portion I8 of the lever is then caused to swingdirectly inwardly to overlapping and locking contact with the block 20,but without further endwise shifting of the lever, and the door will bepulled tightly closed due to the nal straightening out of the toggle.

It is to be understood that when the lever I0 is in this nal lockingposition of Fig. 6, the hook I8 overlies the shoulder I9 of the plate 20and provides a more positive and secure holding connection thanotherwise would be possible, and even under severe strain and pressureapplied against the inside of the door, these hook ends of the leverswill hold and operate as a tie to prevent any possible disconnection ofthe levers with the holding blocks 20.

The tightness of the seal of the door provided by this lever mechanismmay be regulated by adjustment of the length of the link I2, and theirlength may be varied by the turning of a turn buckle l2', which isembodied in the link as a connector for its opposite end portions.

In order that all of the latch levers Il! may be simultaneouslyactuated, and operated by controls located at the inside and also at theoutside of the door, I have mounted a gear housing in the door, at acentral location. This housing, as noted in Fig. 3, is flanged andriveted or welded in an opening in the door plate. A vertical shaft 42extends rotatably through the housing with its opposite end portionsindicated by 42a and '42h in Fig. l, extending along the inside ofthedoor and terminating at their outer ends, respectively, in alinementbetween the upper and lower sets of latches located at opposite edges ofthe door. Fixed on the shaft 42, inside the housing 4B, is a bevel gearwheel 44 and meshing therewith are bevel gears 45 and 46 mountedrespectively on shafts 41 and 48 which extend from the housing 40 toinside and outside of the door where they are equipped, respectively,with hand wheels 49 and 49.

Fixed on the inside of the door, above and also below the housing 49,are spaced gibs 59--50 between which cross heads 5l--5I are mounted forguided vertical up and down travel; each cross head having threadedconnection with the corresponding end portion of the vertical shaft 42.Thus, when either hand wheel is rotated, the gearing connectionsprovided transmit motion to the shaft 42 for moving the cross headstoward or from the housing 4D; it being understood that the shaft ends42a and 42h are provided respectively with right and left-hand threadsso that the cross heads will move in unison toward or away from thehousing 40 in accordance with the direction of rotation of the handwheels.

Each cross head 5I has ball sockets 56 opening to the opposite endsthereof in which the ball ends 32a of the operating links 33 for thecorresponding latch levers are pivotally retained, as will be understoodby reference to Fig. 4.

The arrangement of parts as herein illustrated provides that pairedlatch levers l0, located at directly opposite edges of the door, arecontrolled from the same cross head, and it will be understood that whenthe cross heads are shifted from the position of Fig. l, at which theyare in alinement between the paired latches, toward the axial lines ofthe hand wheels, all latch levers will be simultaneously moved fromlocking toward released positions, and likewise, when the cross-headsare moved away from the axial line of the hand wheels, all latch leversI will be moved simultaneously toward locking positions.

The latch levers I0 at the upper and lower ends of the door are actuatedin a manner similar to those at the side edges of the door, each throughthe mediacy of connectingrod 60 and yoke 6l. Each rod 60 has a pivotalball and socket connection at its outer end with the toggle of thecorresponding latch, as noted in Fig. 1 at 63, and the inner end of therod is slidably contained for limited travel in an opening 66 in thebase of the yoke. The outer ends of the paired legs of each yoke arepivotally xed in the corresponding cross head, as indicated at 64 inFig. 8. Each rod has a lost motion connection with 'its yoke provided byextending the rod slidably through the opening 66 in the base of theyoke and applying collars lil-B1 to the rod in spaced relation and atopposite sides of the yoke base to limit the extent of the lost motionmovement. The connection thus provided is such that the latch levers l0at upper and lower ends of the door will be actuated between open andclosed positions in accordance with the actuation of the latches at thesides of the door. However, by reason of the difference in location ofthese latter levers, and the fact that the travel of the crossheads isdirectly toward and from them, it is essential that the lost motionconnection be provided as will be quite apparent.

It will be understood that the housing 4l) is secured to the door in awater-tight joint, and that the hand wheel shafts have water-tightpacking at the points of entrance into the housing.

In the event that a powered, remote control for the door is desired, itwould be located preferably at the hinged or outside of the door. Such amechanism would provide a mechanical connection with the hand wheelshaft Ml at that side.

With the door and its latch mechanism so constructed, it will beunderstood that, by rotation of either hand wheel,rall latch levers I0may be simultaneously moved, with rapidity, between holding and releasedpositions and that when brought to holding position, the joint sealingpressure may be applied by the toggle mechanism to any desired extentthrough the proper adjustment of the lengths of the links I2.

The fact that each lever lil is equipped with the hook end i3 forengaging the shoulders I9, insures a holding connection that willwithstand all possible pressures applied from the inside of the door.

Such latch devices may be used also singly, in pairs, or in variousarrangements other than here shown, and it is not the intent that thefollowing claims shall be limited to the details shown, but shall begiven an interpretation that is commensurate with the inventiondescribed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new1 therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door supported for movementfrom open position to a position closedl against the casing, and alocking means for the door comprising a, locking lever, a pair of linkswith ends pivotally fixed to the door and their other ends pivotallyfixed to the said lever at locations spaced therealong supporting thelever for an endwise swinging movement whereby one end thereof may bemoved from and into holding engagement with the casing; one of saidlinks comprising toggle joint linkage, and means for actuating thetoggle joint linkage for swinging the locking lever into and fromlocking position.

2. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door supported for movementfrom open position to a position closed against the casing, and alocking means for the door comprising a locking lever, a pair of linkswith ends pivotally lixed to the door and their other ends pivotallyfixed to the said lever at locations spaced therealong supporting thelever for an endwise swinging movement whereby one end thereof may bemoved from and into holding engagement with the casing; one of saidlinks comprising toggle joint linkage and means on the door operable toactuate the toggle joint linkage to cause the locking lever to swingendwise between released and door locking positions and to eiiect adirect application of door sealing pull to be exerted through the leverafter it has engaged with the casing.

3. In combination, a do-or casing, a bulkhead door supported formovement from open position to a position closed against the casing, alocking lever, a pair of links with ends pivotally fixed to the door andtheir other ends pivotally iixed to the lever at locations spacedtherealong, supporting the lever for an endwise swinging movementwhereby the outer end portion of the lever may be moved from and intooverlapped, holding engagement with the casing; one of said links beingof deiinite length and the other including toggle joint linkage, meansoperable for actuating the toggle joint linkage to effect the swingingof the lever between released and door locking positions, means forlimiting the endwise movement of the locking lever in its direction forlocking the door and whereby the nal action of the toggle joint linkagewill effect a, direct application of door sealing pull through thelever.

4. A combination as recited in claim 3 wherein the endwise swingingaction of the locking lever from released to locking position iseffected by the action of the toggle joint linkage in moving fromangular toward straightened relationship, and wherein the locking leveris provided with a hook end and the casing has a shoulder with whichsaid hook end is holdingly engaged by the final straightening action ofthe toggle joint.

5. A combination as recited in claim 3 wherein the said means forlimiting the endwise movement of the locking lever also retains itagainst movement toward releasing position during the initial actuationof the toggle joint linkage in an unlocking operation until the doorsealing pull applied through the lever has been relieved.

6. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door supported for movementfrom open position to a position sealed against the casing, a lockinglever for the door, a pair of links with ends pivotallyxed to the doorand their other ends pivotally fixed to the lever at points near itsouter end, and at the inner end thereof, respectively, whereby the saidlever is adapted to swing in an endwise direction to cause its outer endportion to move into and from a position overlapped with the adjacentedge of the casing, said lever having a hook end, and said casing havinga shoulder over which said hook engages when the lever is in doorlocking position; one of said links being of definite length and theother embodying a toggle joint linkage, means for actuating the togglejoint linkage to cause the locking lever to swing between locking andreleased positions, and means for limiting the outward travel of thelever whereby the final action of the toggle linkage in a lockingOperation causes the engagement of the lever hook with the casingshoulder, and a :lirect application of door sealing pull, and wherebythe initial movement of the toggle linkage in a releasing operation,causes the disengagement of the hook and relieves the sealing pull priorto endwise motion of the lever.

7. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door hingedly mountedthereon to swing from open position to a closed position, sealed againstthe casing, and a locking means for the door comprising locking leversat opposite sides of the door, a pair of links for each lever with endspivotally fixed to the door and their other ends pivotally fixed to thecorresponding lever at a distance spaced within its outer end and at itsinner end, respectively, whereby the said lever is adapted to be swungin an endwise direction to cause its outer end portion to move into andfrom a position overlapped with the adjacent edge of the casing; thelinks that are attached to the outer end portions of the levers being ofdenite length and the other links each embodying a toggle joint, a crosshead mounted on the door between the levers for travel transversely totheir alinement, means for actuating the cross head, and rigid linkspivotally xed to the cross head and to the toggles for actuation of thelatter to move the said levers between locking and released positions.

8. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door mounted on the casingfor swinging movement between open and closed positions, a locking meansfor the door comprising a locking lever, a link having one end pivotallyxed to the door and its other end pivotally attached to the said leverat a distance within its outer end and mounting the lever for endwiseswinging movement to allow its outer end to be holdingly engaged with ormoved within the casing edge, a toggle pivotally mounted on the door,and having an end pivotally fixed to the inner end of the locking lever;said plate having a slot there in, and said lever mounting a boltadapted to travel in said slot, and means for actuating the togglelinkage to cause said lever to be actuated between locking and releasedpositions; said slot being so directed as to guide and finally limit theextent of outward travel of the lever under .f

the influence of the toggle in its locking direction and to cause thenal action of the toggle linkage to be translated into direct doorsealing pull through the lever and its mounting link.

9. A combination as in claim 8 wherein the locking lever has an end hookand said casing has a bearing plate to be engaged by the lever andformed with a shoulder to oppose the hook, and wherein the said plateslot terminates in an outwardly directed portion into which said boltmay pass when the lever has reached its outer limit of endwise travel,for a pivotal action at the point of connection with its mounting link,for a direct application of door sealing pull incident to the nalstraightening action of the toggle.

10. In combination, a door casing, a bulkhead door hinged thereto, toswing from open position to closed position sealed against the casing,and locking means for the door comprising locking levers at oppositesides of the door, a locking lever at an end of the door, a pair oflinks for each lever with ends pivotally iiXed to the door and theirother ends pivotally fixed to the lever at a distance spaced within itsouter end and at its inner end, respectively whereby the levers areadapted to swing in their endwise directions to cause their outer endsto move into or from positions overlapped with the casing edge; thelinks that are attached to the outer end portions of the levers being ofdenite length and the other links each embodying a toggle joint, a crosshead mounted on the door between the levers at opposite sides of thedoor and movable directly toward or from the lever at the end of thedoor,

i means for actuating the cross head, links pivotally xed vto the crosshead and to the toggle linkage cf the levers at opposite sides of thedoor, and a lost motion linkage connecting the cross head with thetoggle linkage of the lever at the end of the door.

ll. In combination, a door casing formed about the door opening with acompressible sealing gasket, a door hingedly mounted on the casing toswing from open to position closed against the gasket, and a doorlocking means including a locking lever, a pair of links with endspivotally fixed to the door and their other ends pivotally Xed to thelever at points spaced therealong, supporting the lever for endwiseswinging movement whereby its outer end may be moved into and fromholding engagement with the casing; one of said links comprising togglejoint linkage through which a direct door sealing pull may be applied tothe lever, and the other link being adjustable in length.

FREDERICK T. JENKINS.

